c) Lithium fluoride, LiF, is an ionic compound - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry Combined Science - Question 4 - 2016 - Paper 1
Question 4
c) Lithium fluoride, LiF, is an ionic compound.
It contains lithium cations and fluoride anions.
The electronic configurations of a lithium atom and of a fluorine a... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:c) Lithium fluoride, LiF, is an ionic compound - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry Combined Science - Question 4 - 2016 - Paper 1
Step 1
Complete Figure 7 to show the electronic configurations of the ions
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Answer
In Figure 7, the electronic configuration for lithium (Li) as a cation should show it losing its outer electron. Therefore, it will have 2 electrons in the first shell and no electrons in the second shell. Thus, it can be represented as:
Li: 2 (charge: +1)
For fluorine (F) as an anion, it will gain one electron to complete its outer shell, resulting in a total of 8 electrons. This can be represented as:
F: 8 (charge: -1)
Step 2
Complete Figure 7 to show the charges of the ions
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Answer
The charge on the lithium ion (Li+) is +1, reflecting the loss of one electron. The charge on the fluoride ion (F-) is -1, representing the gain of one electron.